


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Hard-Shell: Season 1 (Krang Saga)

by SparkyFan



Series: TMNT: Heroes in a Hard-Shell [1]
Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover with Rise of the TMNT sometime during Season 2, F/M, My idea for a TMNT cartoon series, Retelling, Season 1 is "Krang Saga", Shredder will appear at the end of the 2-part season finale, Tang Shen and Splinter are married, Tang Shen is mutated into a cat, The Turtles call Tang Shen "Mom", cowabunganotbooyakasha, maybe April/Mike/Shini in the end?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-04-14 03:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14127303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkyFan/pseuds/SparkyFan
Summary: 15 years ago on June 9th, 1992, the recently-married HAMATO YOSHI and TANG SHEN had just moved from Japan to MANHATTAN, where they purchased 5 baby turtles from a pet shop. But due to an incidental encounter with a pet-store cat & rat, as well as a fight with some thugs in a pet store, they were all doused in a strange purple goop which transformed them into the animals that they respectively came in contact with...not to mention, it caused the quintet of tiny turtles to gain human qualities and traits. 15 years later in 2007, the 5 tiny turtle-tots have become five unusual turtle teens. At the helm is LEONARDO, the bold, self-proclaimed leader; the technologically-gifted and diplomatic DONATELLO; the short-tempered and fearless RAPHAEL; easygoing, adventurous MICHELANGELO; and meek, curious, & self-conscious VENUS DeMILO. The team ventures to the surface, only to end up coming to the rescue when the notorious Purple Dragons street gang threatens the city. But is there something (or someone) more fiendish pulling the strings?





	1. Heroes in a Hard-Shell, Part 1: "Out of the Shadows"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In our first chapter...
> 
> 1\. We meet the Turtles, Master Splinter, and Master Whisker.  
> 2\. We get a glimpse into their lives  
> 3\. We meet April, Zach...& unfortunately, Burne and Vernon.  
> 4\. The Turtles get to go to the surface for the first time!
> 
> Also, I'd just like to say ahead of time that I have no ill will towards the writers of the 2012 TMNT cartoon (though I feel April's character could have been handled better, not to mention the mystery of April's mom, as well as the Mutagen Man/The Pulverizer...I intend to resolve that soon enough.) ...except for the whole "Mutant Apocalypse" story arc from "Tales of the TMNT". I HATE that as much as Trey Parker and Matt Stone hate Barbra Streisand. Maybe even MORE...

**Mike's P.O.V.**

_**MANHATTAN, 7:18 AM** _

***fade in on, then slow pan over an overhead shot of Manhattan***

_New York, New York...most say it's a helluva town. I say, it's a shelluva town...Of course, I wouldn't know that, considering I've never seen it in person._

***pan down below Manhattan’s streets, until we reach a deserted subway station; dissolve to what resembles an abandoned version of Grand Central Station***

_My name is Michelangelo, but since we're friends now, you can call me "Mike". I...led a pretty "shell-tered" childhood. Heh-heh, little pun there. But in a way, it never really ended for me. Even when I discovered the..._ **_awkwardness_ ** _that comes with puberty. Not to mention, the..._ **_URGES_ ** _...the less you know about THAT, the better. It's like someone flipped a switch in my brain or sumthin'! And Raph's secret stash of magazines isn't really helping!_

_I bet you're wondering who "Raph" is. Well, on that note I think it's time you met my siblings._

***focus on drawing of Leonardo, done in midnight-blue pen ink, with Leo's name underlined, with the subtitle: "The Battle Commander"; he is pictured wearing a traditional white samurai robe, holding both of his swords***

_This is Leonardo, but I call him 'Leo' to save time. He's kinda like the Tommy Pickles of our zany little crew-gutsy, determined, bold & focused. That's why he's "The Battle Commander". Thanks to his keen eyesight and sensitive hearing, Leo is VERY well-balanced, which makes him more skillful when wielding his ever-flashing twin katana blades...or are they dual ninjato? I always get 'em mixed-up; still, no matter how dangerous the situation, Leo doesn't mind sticking his neck out. _

***focus on drawing of a lanky turtle with a purple bandanna--this is Donatello, drawn in periwinkle pen ink, with his name underlined, with the subtitle: "The Creative Genius"; he is pictured wearing a pair of protective goggles, and holding a test tube & beaker, with a wrench & tool belt***

_That one's Donatello, or 'Don'. The brains of the operation. Whenever you need something fixed, or just need help understanding complicated stuff, Don is the right turtle for the job! He's also kinda the reason we have a working TV with cable down here. Calls it "Turtlevision". No doubt about it, Don is the best Turtle you'll ever find. He's the Egon Spengler of the group and the designer of our crazy vehicles. Rather than use his bo or brawn, Don usually prefers inventing some device or clever thingamajig to foil the foe. Still, Don's one tough turtle with his staff, which enables him to parry, vault, and crush...just like Robin Hood, but a total genius!_

***focus on drawing of a bulky-looking turtle with a red bandanna--this is Raphael, drawn in ruby pen ink, with his name underlined, with the subtitle: "The Witty Voice"; he is pictured holding a sai in one hand, a laser pistol in the other, and a toothpick in his mouth, looking like a late-80s/early-90s action flick hero; think Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Campbell.***

_Over here is Raphael, or 'Raph'. He's known as 'The Witty Voice', on account of his sarcastic comments. Raph is DEFINITELY the wittiest Turtle you're likely to stumble over. If things aren't going his way, his tongue snaps out sarcastic jokes dipped in poison...a regular Peter Venkman. Even though he's referred to as the snapping ninja, the rest of us know he means well. Raph's clever skill with the deadly sai allows him to strike at a distance and really keep his opponents in stitches. His way with a manhole cover has made him famous in sewers everywhere. He's also second-oldest, but he doesn't like me taking his magazines since I return 'em all messy. Last I checked, they were already old, so what was he getting so worked up over?_

***focus on drawing of Venus, done in sky-blue pen ink, with her name underlined, with the subtitle: "The Rational Mediator"; she is pictured using a giant Sharpie to draw a line in the sand***

_That's our little sister, Venus De Milo. I call her "Venny" for short. She's sorta like the Chuckie Finster of our little team, but it's mostly because she's concerned for our well-being. She might be kind of a scaredy-cat, but she can kick some MAJOR tail...and I should know! Venny dedicates much of her daily training ritual to building her mental agility and throwing accuracy...which she accomplishes by positioning her target 20 feet away. Once she achieves 10 bullseyes in a row with her kunai, she moves the target further away._

***focus on drawing of Michelangelo, done in orange pen ink, with his name underlined, with the subtitle: "The Wild & Crazy One"; he is pictured standing on a skateboard on 1 foot, clutching a comic book in the other with his toes, in his left hand he swings one of his nunchucks, and he wears a radio DJ headset (with a little microphone on the left side) on his head***

_And that kooky-looking sonuvagun there? That would be yours truly. No matter what crummy things might happen, I stay cool...cool because he's the master of the whirling nunchakus. It takes eight pounds of pressure per square inch to break bone. The nunchakus generate ninety! In the midst of the most difficult of duels, I can be seen swinging my deadly nunchakus in one hand while dangling a wedge of pizza in the other._

_Don't get me wrong, living down here is cool! There's always something new to explore...though I can't help but wonder...is there something ELSE up there?_

* * *

 

**Normal P.O.V.**

_**MIKE'S ROOM, 7:26 AM** _

Mike closed his journal and glanced wistfully up at the ceiling of his room, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, something came to him that snapped him out of his reverie...something of the utmost importance...a new episode of his favorite show, " **The Adventures of Cowabunga Carl & Big Bubba**" would be on in four minutes!

In a flash, Mike placed his journal on his bookshelf, and raced out of the room in a blur. Who says Turtles are SLOW?

* * *

 

**_THE LAIR'S TV ROOM, 7:28 AM_ **

Raphael was on the couch in the TV room, dead asleep. A thin trail of drool cascaded from his mouth. On the TV screen, a wrestling match was taking place between the challenger, the Thunder Buzzard, and the champion, El Puño de Tigre ( _Tiger Fist_ ).

Mike arrived in the TV room and glanced down with a wry smile. No doubt the bulky turtle had fallen asleep while watching an all-night _Mighty Jack’s Wrestle-Rama_ marathon. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened...more like the 12th.  When Raph _really_ got his snooze on, it was nigh-impossible to wake him. You could splash him, tickle him, blow up a balloon & burst it within his hearing range, and he'd still be snoring like a log...with nostrils.

Mike leapt over the couch, stealthily snatched the remote from Raph's fingers, and changed the channel to Channel 39: The Animation Station.

And just in time for _Cowabunga Carl & Big Bubba _, no less. Michelangelo let out a wistful sigh. Since he was a turtle tot, he'd modeled his life after CC. Heck, Cowabunga Carl was the whole reason he'd started using the nunchucks and saying "Cowabunga" as his catchphrase.

Donatello shuffled into the main room, bags under his eyes and a cup of coffee in his three-fingered hand. Fresh off another technological all-nighter, from the looks of it. He glanced down at the sleeping turtle.

"Late-night wrestling marathon?" he asked.

"Correct-a-mundo." came Mike's reply as he put his feet atop the trash-can ottoman. Don rolled his eyes (or at least with as much energy he could muster) and took another sip.

"Figures," he sighed, climbing gingerly over the couch and slumping onto it.

Mike sighed, admiringly. "Y'know what makes Cowabunga Carl so awesome?"

Don slowly blinked, one eye at a time, as if he were mustering the energy just to form cognitive thoughts this early in the morning.

"Is it the weapons?"

"Nah."

"The catchphrase?"

"Maybe."

"The fact he's ALSO a turtle?"

"Close, but no."

"* _sigh_ *...then what?"

“It's that he has a girlfriend. Wish I had one."

Don shook his head; it was nice when Mikey dared to dream, but he felt it better to put his farfetched hopes to rest early on before life decided to crush them. "...Mike, we're giant humanoid turtles trained in martial arts. We don't exactly have a wide range of options when it comes to dating." he replied.

"So...you're saying...when we die, nobody's gonna remember us, and there's gonna be nobody to carry on our legacies?" asked Mike, his eyes wide.

"Well, that's painting it a bit broadly...but yes, that IS what I'm saying." Don sighed reluctantly.

Mike let out a deep, long groan of discontent. He HATED when Don laid out just how horrible and merciless reality could be...that always made him want to crawl back into bed for the next week and cry.

But...NO! He wouldn't let reality get him down and crush his hopes and dreams. For each time he'd been let down in his life, he'd resorted to watching "Cowabunga Carl" to help cope with it.

"Well...I don't CARE if we're turtles. Somewhere out there is somebody who's gonna like me for ME! I just KNOW it!" he replied, standing up with a confident aura radiating around him.

Donatello gave a wry smile. Though he didn't like shattering Mike's hopes and dreams, he DID enjoy it whenever he smiled, whenever he had hope that there was more they were destined for, despite their origins. Somehow, it made things a little bit better.

Just as the commercial break began, Mike felt a hand touch his shoulder. With a panicked yelp, he grabbed the hand and flipped the arm it was attached to over the couch. Though instead of a sinister assassin hoping to kill him, he found his older brother Leonardo, his cerulean eyes glowering at him through his blue mask.

"Good morning to you, too," commented Leo. "Are you _always_ this jumpy, or did that just start?"

Mike shook off his initial shock, which gave way to mild irritation. "Dammit, Leo, don't DO that!" he griped. "Almost gave me a heart attack, too..."

"Relax, little brother." came another voice. It was Venus Artemisia De Milo, the fifth of the turtles...as well as the only female turtle.

Mike furrowed his brow. "Aren't _YOU_ the little sister?" he asked. "Last I checked, I was hatched 2 minutes before you."

"Maybe, but from how you act, you wouldn't know it," came the smug reply.

Before Mike could issue a rebuttal, each of the Turtles ( _save for Raph_ ) got bonked on the head with a wooden staff. Turning towards the source of the whacking, the Turtles found that it was courtesy of their father and co-sensei, Master Splinter.

"Glad to see that all of my children are here," he spoke wryly. "I wouldn't want you to miss this important announcement."

As he started talking, he was cut off by Raphael's loud snoring, which made him wince. "Would someone care to wake him up?" he asked.

He was only met with silence.

"Nobody? Well, to do something right, you must do it yourself," he shrugged, before smacking Raphael on the head with his cane.

"OWW! Sonuvabitch...who the hell did tha-" came Raph's angry griping, until he spotted who was responsible. "M-master Splinter! Forgive me, sensei, I meant no disrespect. I simply thought it was an unknown attacker..."

Splinter simply took it in stride. "No, Raphael; you were right to have suspicions-for all you know, the person who struck you could've been some sort of assassin hoping to harm you and your family-so it was right of you to be on-guard." he replied.

Raph brushed the crust from his eyes and beamed, tiredly.

"I just wish you wouldn't use such crude language..." Splinter added, and Raph's prideful beaming dropped a little. He could handle a few criticisms--in the long run it would do wonders for him.

But that could wait. "What's with the wake-up call?" Raph asked, rubbing his head.

“As you know, my children, it is customary that before breakfast, we must first train.” Splinter explained.

Raph groaned. There was no way he’d be able to get any sparring done, especially considering how tired he was. _Why’d I hafta stay up and watch wrestling...?_

“I’m preparing omelets!” Tang Shen, or Whisker called from the kitchen cheerfully.

“YES!” Mike cheered, doing a fist-pump.

“Omelets, huh?” Leo asked, before turning to Don. “Great timing too, Don; you need an actual breakfast, made up of something OTHER than coffee.”

Don rolled his eyes. “Coffee is the go-to breakfast for inventors,” he retorted, before his stomach growled loudly. “...although recent studies have shown that a full breakfast _CAN_ help to fully-stimulate the brain…” he tacked on, sheepishly.

But before the two could race into the kitchen, Venus stopped them. “Slow down there, you two. You heard dad: first train, THEN eat.”

Leo and Donnie grumbled in dismay, before heading to the dojo, their siblings trailing behind....

* * *

**_THE KITCHEN, 8:28 AM_ **

An hour later, the Turtles walked out of the dojo. Venus and Mike were slapping hi-fives, Don and Raph were tired and grumpy, and Leo was just baffled. “But how? HOW the heck did you manage to beat me?” he asked in disbelief.

“Effective misdirection,” Mike replied. “And you guys criticized my choice of  **_The Phantom Menace_ ** for last week’s movie night. It worked for the Battle of Naboo, and it sure as hell worked for me.”

“Never underestimate a goofball alien, even if the franchise’s so-called fanbase whines about his existence,” Venus added, as they headed to the kitchen.

"My children...I have exciting news," announced Splinter, a smile curling across his fuzzy face as the turtles each took their seats.

The five leaned in, curious. "Your mother and I have been talking...and we've decided...that the five of you are finally old enough to venture up to the surface later today."

The next few minutes were filled with loud, ecstatic cheering. Raph was spinning in his shell like a break-dancer on cardboard, Don and Venus were gleefully doing the Tango, and Leo and Mike had hooked their arms and begun dancing around in a circle like a pair of square-dancers. Whisker smiled at her husband.

"I take it they heard the good news?" she asked.

Splinter smirked in reply. "You'd be correct in that assumption."

* * *

  **_ELSEWHERE, UP ON THE SURFACE, AROUND 3:30 PM..._ **

April Harriet O'Neil wasn't what you would refer to as an average teenage girl.

...But it's not like she was a half-alien, half-human hybrid with psychic powers or anything! I mean, that'd be like some kind of ridiculous plot twist pulled out of nowhere by writers who were clearly scrounging at the bottom of the barrel for plot ideas!

For starters, she was a prodigy. However, since her mom was dealing with financial troubles, she couldn't afford to go to a prestigious school for gifted children, and she had to settle for attending boring old regular high school.

Granted, there was the occasional fight in the lunchroom or the hallway, but those were actually pretty dull. Not to mention, she _was_ very athletic, not to mention acrobatic, but that didn't keep the school jocks from making fun of her.

Speaking of jerk jocks, approaching April at the moment was their ringleader, "Blazing" Burne Thompson: local meathead AND captain of the school football team. Trailing behind him was his dweeb of a sidekick, Vernon "Vern" Fenwick. Everyone knew that the only reason Burne kept Vern around was so he could do his homework for him, which allowed him to stay on the football team AND slack off to his heart's content...and yet, Vernon was actually dumb enough to believe that Burne actually considered him to be his friend, which he would frequently use as leverage to avoid in-school trouble (as long as he promised that he'd do Burne's homework for him, but make it look convincing enough so that nobody got suspicious).

April rolled her eyes in dismay. This was _NOT_ the kind of B.S. she needed to deal with, especially not on a weekday.

"Well, well, well..." sneered Burne, a mean-spirited smile crossing his greasy face. "if it isn't April O- _Squeal_."

April blew a tuft of hair out of her face, disinterested. "I don't have time for this, Burne. I've got better things to do than deal with Neanderthals like you."

"Hmm...looks to me like ya got PLENTY of time." sneered the meatheaded mook.

"Yeah! Considering it's last period before we head home, you have plenty of time on your hands!" added Vern dutifully.

Burne glared back at his toady. "Did I _say_ you could speak?" Taking the hint, Vernon nervously backed off.

"Anyways, since it's the end o' the day, I figured you could spot your ol' pal Burne a little dough, y'know?" suggested Burne. "I wanna take my girl Tiff out somewhere nice tonight, an' I gotta good feeling that tonight's gonna be the night we get it on!"

April cringed. She _really_ didn't need to know about Burne's sexual ambitions.

"Forget it, you lead-weight," responded a younger voice. "April doesn't owe you one lousy cent!"

April and Burne glanced down to see that the voice's source was April's adoptive brother, Zachary "Zach" Allen-O'Neil. Burne almost keeled over from laughing at the sight before him-a middle-school runt was trying to stand up to the Blazing Burne?

He reached down and picked Zach up by the back of his shirt, hoisting him so that their faces were level. "Real cute, small fry. We got us a little Rocky Balboa right here! Well, I don't think you understand-"

But before he could finish, Zach's left leg shot out and punted Burne in the gut, causing him to drop Zach so he could clutch his stomach, which was in GREAT PAIN. And while he did this, April and Zach took the opportunity to leave the building as the last bell rang, signifying the end of the school day.

"...thanks for the help back there..." April spoke, finally breaking the silence that had long persisted since they had started for home.

"No prob. Nobody extorts from my sister." replied Zach.

"Speaking of which...what were you doing at my school?" asked April.

"Mom said for me to wait for you to come out once my school ended for the day." explained Zach. "And when I saw what was going on...well, one thing led to another."

April playfully tousled his hair. "Angel was pulling pranks on you again, wasn't she?"

Zach snorted. "That, too. It's like she enjoys singling me out or something! Like I'm the injured gazelle, and she's the hungry lioness, waiting for me to fall behind so she can pounce and rip the flesh from my bones like wrapping paper!" he exclaimed.

"..."

 

"..."

 

"...I think she likes you."

Zach's face went blank. "...what."

"I think the only reason she pranks you is because she secretly likes you. She's just too shy and prideful to admit it," explained April.

Zach clutched the bridge of his nose and wearily shook his head. _Older sisters think they know EVERYTHING..._

"I know you're a prodigy, but I gotta say that's the single dumbest thing I've ever heard. Next you'll be telling me we're gonna get attacked by...oh, I dunno-NINJAS or something!" he replied. April couldn't help but chuckle at her adoptive brother's overactive imagination. Whoever heard of ninjas in New York? What was next, mutants in Manhattan?

The duo was so caught up in their laughter they didn't notice that they were now surrounded by a group of thugs. Their one significant trait? They all wore a purple tattoo of a Chinese dragon on their left wrists, and each of them carried some sort of blunt object that could double as a weapon.

"Getting attacked by STREET GANGS, however?" Zach commented. "That seems MUCH more realistic..."

 

"Well, well...looks like we got some customers!" chuckled one gang member, spinning his crowbar. "Let's hope they can pay the fine!"

"What fine?" asked Zach.

The gang member tittered to himself, before leaning over to Zach. "Ya see, kiddo, people who cross through Purple Dragon territory gotta pay a protection fine!" he explained.

"Protection from what?" asked April.

"From **_US_ ** ," he finished, before eyeing April up and down. "But protection is a rather bland racket...and I could use some excitement, _if you know what I mean_."

The other gang members chuckled in a lecherous manner. Zach didn't know what they meant, but April sure did...and it made her turn pale.  _Where was a hero when you needed one...?_

* * *

 

**_MEANWHILE, AT THAT SAME TIME..._ **

The Turtles, now clad in their disguises, headed up through the manhole and to the surface.

"Oh man, this is SO BEYOND AWESOMENESS!" giggled Mike, barely hiding his excitement.

"Keep a lid on it, Mike," advised Leo. "Remember what mom and Sensei told us-"

"We know, we know," groused Raph. "stick to the shadows and don't let anybody see you. We hear ya loud an' clear, Splinter Junior."

As Mike and Don chuckled, Leo huffed through his nostrils in annoyance. "Let's just go..." he grumbled.

And as they climbed up the ladder, Venus whistled " **_A-Hunting We will Go_ ** " all the way there.

The Turtles were amazed at the sights of the surface: supermarkets, repair shops, karate classes, comic book stores...you name it, and as long as it was realistic, it was all around them.

"It's glorious..." gasped Don.

"I could look at that sunset for HOURS," Raph beamed.

And as they were admiring the scenery, an ear-piercing cry tore through the air: " **_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ ** "

This instantly jostled the Turtles out of their tranquil state.

"Anyone else hear that?" asked Venus.

"Bet they heard it over in Delaware," retorted Raph, knocking some imaginary water from his non-existent earholes. "Amiright, Mike?"

But when he opened his eyes, the orange-clad terrapin was long gone. Raph's eyes darted around wildly. "Where is he? Where'd he go?! Dammit, if something happened to him..."

A tap on the shoulder shook him out of his frenzied worrying. Raph turned to Venus. "WHAT?!" Venus pointed upwards, and Raph, Leo, and Don glanced in that direction. They saw Mike, running across the rooftop of an apartment building and heading towards the source of the scream.

Leo sighed, putting his head in his hands and cursing under his breath.

"Let's hope he doesn't make things worse..." sighed Venus, as she, Don, and Leo pulled out their grappling guns, and aimed them at the rooftop.

"You comin', Raph?" Don asked his brother, who was lost in thought.

Raph quickly snapped out of his stupor, before casting a glance at a nearby dumpster.

"You three go on ahead..." he replied, a small smirk forming on his lips. "I'll catch up..."

* * *

 

Elsewhere, Mike was leaping across the rooftops, approaching the source of the panicked cry.

_I'm actually makin' pretty good time travellin' by roof...and Leo says I'm not stealthy...I sure showed him when I snuck away like that! Quiet like a mouse! Betcha he was kinda proud, too!_

The daydreaming turtle was soon jostled out of his reverie when he realized that he was right above the alley where the scream came from.

_Y'know, in most comic books, this sort of thing turns out to be a way to ambush the hero...but what if someone IS in trouble?_

Using Leo's spyglass, which he'd previously "borrowed", Mike glanced down into the alley, and saw a VERY attractive teenage girl-at least his age! And next to her, a kid, at least 11 or twelve...

_Bodacious! It's a girl...and MAN ALIVE, SHE IS SMOKIN'! Hello-o-o-o-o-o, Nurse!_

He then glanced around at the unscrupulous people surrounding her.

_Pickin' on a pretty lady? Why, the nerve of those buttheads! Someone oughta teach those guys a lesson-and I'm just the turtle to do it!_

Cracking his knuckles, neck, and back (or midsection, I guess), Mike prepared to leap into action as he closed his eyes and breathed through his nostrils.

_Best be careful...it could be dangerous._

Mike's eyes shot open and curled into triangular slits, as he let out a dark chuckle.

"Well, then... _LET'S GET DANGEROUS_!"

The roughnecks came closer and closer to April and Zach, each of them brandishing a weapon or blunt object, but suddenly…

a single, solitary cry jolted them to attention:

 **_"_ ** **_COWA-B-U-U-U-U-U-U-N-G-A-A-A-A-A-A-A_ **!"

As the thugs turned around, they saw a 4-ft. tall man clad in a trenchcoat, fedora, and blue jeans land on the ground in front of them, and stand up while reaching into his jacket. In both hands he now gripped a nunchaku.

"Hey, dudes!" he smirked. "Looks like your mothers never taught you manners. 'Cuz if they did, you'd know it's not nice pickin' on pretty ladies!"

At this, April's face turned a very noticeable shade of red.

The thugs didn't know what to make of this...until their (de-facto) leader, known as 'Bongo', began to chuckle. And that chuckle soon grew into a full-fledged guffaw. The other thugs joined in on Bongo's laughter, albeit with a noticeably awkward tone.

Finally, the laughter subsided when Bongo put up his hand. He looked the man up and down.

"So you're a hero, huh?" he scoffed, lighting a cigarette and taking a few puffs. He then exhaled the smoke, before snuffing out his cigarette on Zach's head and chucking it into a dumpster.

"Randy, Coop…why don't you show Dudley Do-Right here just what happens to heroes in this town," he ordered to two college-aged kids; the first, Randy, was Caucasian with blonde hair. The second, Coop, was a tan-skinned kid, shorter than Randy by a couple inches, and had scruffy brown hair.

Randy raised his hand and gave Bongo the "A-OK" sign.

"Ah, no sweat, Bongo," he replied in a voice reminiscent of Carter Cathcart's Meowth. "We're gonna have dis mook on his knees in no time flat!"

The man smirked underneath the shade of his fedora. "Is that a fact?"

Randy and Coop decided that they'd had it. Only 3 minutes in, and they ALREADY couldn't stand this guy. Brandishing their weapons, they lunged at the man, as April covered Zach's eyes so as to shield them from the sight of a horrible beating...

.

.

.

...which it WOULD have been if they were facing someone else. But since Michelangelo happens to be a Ninja Turtle, well...it was barely even a fight, especially since Mike wasn't even taking it seriously.

But how could he take these people seriously? They were like a really bad joke!

Eventually, Coop and Randy collapsed on the pavement-no heads went flying, but make no mistake, the both of them would feel the lingering pain in the morning!

Bongo and the other Purple Dragon members were flabbergasted.

 _Who in th' hell IS this guy,_ Bongo wondered, as his mouth gaped like that of a dying fish.

April's eyes were the size of pie tins, and her jaw had practically hit the ground. The very PORTRAIT of astonishment.

Zach, on the other side of the spectrum, was clapping and whistling, like someone who'd just finished watching a particularly good movie. And naturally, Mike couldn't resist removing his hat and taking a bow.

"Thank you, thank you!" he beamed, blowing pretend kisses to and bowing before imaginary spectators. "You're a bodacious audience!"

.

.

.

...and then he realized-he'd removed his hat!

April had to rub her eyes and blink a few times to confirm that she wasn't seeing things. The person who'd saved them did indeed have lime-green skin, a jagged beak, and a pair of blue eyes behind an orange mask.

Upon seeing this, Bongo snapped out of his stupor as a smirk began to form on his face.  _So that's it, eh?_

April was trying very, VERY hard not to defecate herself, drop to the ground in a fetal position, and clutch the sides of her head while laughing like a maniac (not necessarily in that order, mind you), but considering she and her brother had just been rescued by a large, green... _creature_ , it was tough NOT to instantly start questioning her entire existence.

Zach was trying to calm his older sister down. "April...it's okay..." he soothed. "Besides...could just be a costume...you know how weird people in Manhattan can be!"

April's panicked hyperventilating eventually slowed to normal speed. "Y...you're right...thanks, Z...I was thinking I'd lost my mind...and thank you, mister...?"

"My name is Michelangelo-but you can call me...the **_TURTLE TITAN!"_ ** replied Mike, in the most heroic voice he could muster (and believe me, he's been practicing since he was six).

Zach's amber eyes sparkled with genuine admiration and respect. This was officially the most awesome person he'd ever encountered in the 12 years he'd been alive.

"But this isn't a costume...okay, the TRENCHCOAT, hat, and pants are a disguise, but the rest of me is all real." explained Michelangelo, discarding his clothing and revealing his plastron, shell, elbow and knee-pads, as well as his two-toed feet along with his belt and circular "M" belt-buckle.

Zach and April could only gape, dumbfounded. This day just got weirder.

But before Mike could try and prevent any possible freak-outs, he felt a piece of gravel bounce off his shell.

Turning around, he saw Bongo, accompanied by his remaining underlings. A few were either popping their knuckles, while some were grinning devilishly at him.

"Hey, salmonella-brain!" chuckled Bongo confidently. "Thought you could scare us with some dopey Halloween costume? Well, ya thought WRONG, 'cuz nobody scares the Purple Dragons. The Purple Dragons do the scaring."

Mike did a few leg-stretches to avoid pulling his hamstring, and then cracked his neck, getting himself nice and limbered-up.

"Oh-ho-ho, this is gonna ROCK!" Zach chuckled, pulling April aside so they could watch the show from a safe distance. But before the others could attack, three other human-sized turtles landed on the ground with Mike, and they ALSO wore colored bandannas, belt-buckles with initials, and they also carried a weapon (or 2) with them.

"Really, Mike?" asked Leo sarcastically. "We let you out of our sight for ONE MINUTE, and you _already_ get yourself into trouble!"

"What can I say, Leo?" Mike shrugged casually. "I got a magnetic personality!"

"No kidding," added Don. "when you're around, you _attract_ trouble!"

"Lecture later, oh brainy one," Venus interrupted. "Oh, and remind me to hit you for that awful pun."

"Duly NOT noted!" came Don's reply.

"Look at da freaks!" snickered another P.D. thug, named Tsoi.

"Isn't it a little EARLY for Halloween?" added another named Chung.

"Thanks for the chuckles, but nobody interferes with the Purple Dragons," concluded Bongo. " _ESPECIALLY_ not wearin' some stupid turtle costumes!"

Zach just smirked. "He's wrong; they're not wearing costumes..." he chuckled.

April glanced at him, confused; but before she could ask what he meant, the Turtles leapt into action, weapons a-blazin'.

The next five-to-seven minutes that followed could be best described as what the Tropers refer to as a "Curb-Stomp Battle".

The Purple Dragons might've found it easy to beat up hot-shots who thought they could get away with standing up to them, but they'd never dealt with trained ninja warriors. And naturally, since Bongo wasn't exactly a fighter, he spent the entire battle cowering under a pile of week-old newspapers.

As soon as the fight was done, he gradually emerged from the pile and glanced out to see that all of his followers had gotten the ever-loving-crap beaten out of them. None of them were dead, just dizzy or knocked-out.

"Y...you think you won, ya freaks?!" he yelled at the Turtles, who instantly turned towards him.

"Looks like we missed one, dudes!" chuckled Mike. "Whatcha gonna do now, tough guy? You got no goons ta back you up!"

"SHUT TH' HELL UP!" snapped Bongo. "DIS AIN'T OVAH! NOT BY A LONGSHOT! I MIGHT'VE LOST HERE, BUT WE'RE JUST GONNA KEEP ON DOIN' WHAT WE DO: MUGGIN' SAPS, STEALIN' FOR THE HELL OF IT, AN'...hey, do you mind? I'm yelling at you here!"

But the Turtles had stopped listening. Their attention had been snagged by a squeaking, creaking noise that gradually grew louder, until it was accompanied by a wild, zany scream.

And before Bongo could even blink, he'd gotten slammed in the midsection and below by a dumpster, which sent him flying into a wall, conking him on the head and knocking him out cold. The lid of the dumpster opened up, and Raph popped out, laughing dizzily.

" **_BEWARE THE NIGHTWATCHER!"_ ** he laughed, wheezing through his teeth. He then glanced at his siblings. "Did we find Mikey?" he asked.

Venus rolled her eyes. _Leave it to Raph to make an_ **_impact_ ** _on the first_ **_beating_ ** _...great, now Donnie has ME doing it!_

"Yes, Raph; we found Mikey." she replied.

"Nice," smirked the large Turtle, fist-bumping his sister before glancing at the still-shocked April, and the ecstatic Zach. "Who are those guys?"

Mike's eyes widened, and he face-palmed. "Aw, man! I forgot to ask her name!" he groused.

At this point, the gravity of what she'd just witnessed hit April with all the subtlety of a brick to the skull or a kick to the chin. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her body went limp, and then she fainted.

"Alright, team; we've had our fun," ordered Leo. "Now it's time to get moving. Sensei and Mother are sure to be worried for us..."

"But we can't just leave her there!" begged Mike, pointing at the unconscious April.

"Not to mention, the kid DID see us," added Raph. "He might tell someone."

Leo clutched the bridge of his nose and swore in Japanese for a little bit longer than last time. "Fine...we can take them with us..." he grumbled. "But we can't let Master Splinter or Mother know!"

The Turtles all nodded, heading towards a manhole cover, popping it open, and heading down the ladder-but not before tossing Bongo's unconscious body into the dumpster. Mike picked up the unconscious April, bridal-style, and climbed down the ladder as he headed into the murky sewer tunnels, with Zach following behind.

* * *

A woozy Bongo emerged from the dumpster, covered with garbage, and took out a communicator.

"Hey boss, it's Bongo. We gotta little situation here..."

 

**_TO BE CONTINUED, DUDES..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MIKE: Hola, compadres, Mike and the others here to tell you what to expect on the next chapter of "Heroes in a Hard-Shell"!
> 
> RAPH: We make some new friends, introduce 'em to our parents, catch up on the news...the usual shtick!
> 
> DON: Waitaminute...there's a robbery at the TGRI building? We've got to stop it!
> 
> LEON: Remember siblings, we're ninjas, so we need to stay in the shadows!
> 
> VENNY: Unless it's necessary to break protocol, because like rules, protocol was made to be broken! Tune in next time for Part 2: "The Midnight Run". And until then...
> 
> ALL TURTLES (in unison): COWABUNGA!!


	2. Heroes in a Hard-Shell, Part 2: The Midnight Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: The show Mega-Bot: The Cosmic Protector is based on "Super-Robo Mecha-Force-5" from the 2012 cartoon, except with better dubbing, less ridiculous names, and one of the team members isn’t an actual monkey. To be honest, I felt that SRMF5 was a cool idea--even for a spin-off--it just had wasted potential and was simply used as a parody of poorly-dubbed animes from the late ‘70s and the early-to-late ‘80s.

**RECAP: Mike’s P.O.V.**

_Yup, New York is a crazy place; my siblings and I found that out firsthand when we went to the surface for the first time...and met this mondo-pretty girl and her little brother. Too bad the circumstances under which we met couldn’t have been better--apparently, they were being attacked by this street gang called the “Purple Dragons”. How dopey can you get?_

* **April collapses, and Mike glances down at her prone form; cut to him carrying her down the manhole, and sealing it shut** *

_But I digress--now we’ve got houseguests. Hope Sensei and Mom don’t mind settin’ out a few extra places at the dinner table…_

* * *

**Normal P.O.V.**

As the five terrapin teenagers headed homeward through the empty subways, Leonardo had _plenty_ to say to Michelangelo, who was still carrying April, bridal-style.

“Are you INSANE, Mike? What were you THINKING? Oh, wait, you WEREN’T thinking! If you _were_ , you’d have used your brain instead of just charging in like a maniac!!” he yelled.

“Well, ex- _cuse_ me for bein’ chivalrous!” Michelangelo snapped. “I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing! Someone was in danger! I had to do something!”

“That doesn’t mean you couldn’t have TRIED coming up with a plan, at least!” Leo retorted.

“I didn’t have time; I had to make it up as I went along!!” Mike shot back.

“Seriously?” asked Raph, giving an impressed whistle. “Not bad, Mike; way to think on your toes!”

Leo turned to Raph. “Don’t _ENCOURAGE_ him; what he did was reckless and foolish!” he shouted.

“Yeah, but it also took guts.” Raph responded. “And for THAT, Mike, next time you borrow my special magazines, I won’t lose my cool when ya mess ‘em up. Just don’t mess ‘em up TOO badly, or else I’ll reconsider.”

“No prob, Raph. Count on it!” Mike replied.

“What if his so-called _guts_ got spilled on the pavement?” Leo asked. “What then, mister big-shot?”

“Puh-lease, like anything could cut through his shell!” Raph scoffed. “And besides, there’s no way any wannabe punk in this city could take us on!”

“Sure, you say that NOW, but things change, Raph; things change.” Leo responded.

As the three Turtles talked, Zach glanced at Venus and Don. “Are they _always_ like this?” he asked.

Don and Venus looked at each other, then to Zach.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Don answered.

“On a normal day, Mike’s their mediator.” Venus added.

Zach sighed. “Somehow, I thought so...how do you two put up with that?”

“Patience and coffee…lots of coffee,” Donatello replied. “Any more questions?”

“Well, how did you five come into existence?” asked Zach.

Don sighed wearily. On the bright side, telling the story of their origins would be a decent way to kill time during their trek homeward.

“Well, y'see, it all started WAY back in the year 1992…” the brainy turtle began.

* * *

 

Elsewhere, at an abandoned warehouse at the docks, Bongo and his cronies were nursing their wounds.

“I can’t believe it...beaten by a bunch of losers in dopey turtle costumes…” grumbled Randy.

“And here I always thought turtles were supposed to be slow…” chimed in Coop.

“Oh, shut up, you sissies,” Bongo snapped. “I had to deal with ‘em, and ya don’t see ME complaining.”

“Yeah, because you were busy cowering under old newspapers while we got our asses handed to us,” replied a Purple Dragon member.

“Who said that?” Bongo growled, flipping out his switchblade. “Come up here and say it to my face, piss-guzzler!”

But before things could get physically violent, the Purple Dragons suddenly heard large, thunderous footsteps approaching the warehouse.

“It’s _him_...the boss!” whimpered Randy.

“Hold me!” Coop shivered, sweating profusely as he leapt into Randy's arms and they trembled in terror.

Suddenly, a six-foot-tall hulking man entered the warehouse; he had a blonde buzz cut with a ponytail braid on the back of his head, a black leather jacket with the sleeves torn off, jeans, and shoes, with a purple dragon tattoo on his left arm.

“H-heya, chief…” shuddered Tsoi, the man’s size dwarfing his own. “Didn’t expect to see you here tonight…”

The large man spoke in a deep voice and a calm, even tone. “Why _wouldn’t_ you? After all, this is the place where I get my information from our...generous benefactor.”

The Purple Dragons’ eyes lit up. A generous benefactor meant plenty of money. And plenty of money was usually gained from some plenty high-profile jobs.

“Speaking of which, it’s time for him to contact me,” the man explained, as a large, flat-screen TV lowered down from the roof. It turned on, revealing a silhouetted person’s head.

“ _Hun...I trust you and your associates are hearing this?_ ” he asked.

“Loud and clear, big man. We’re all ears.”

“ _Excellent...have I got a job for YOU…_ ”

* * *

 

Our terrapin heroes, meanwhile, had soon returned to their home and had set April’s body down on the couch. After their first adventure to the surface, they were certainly bushed.

Donatello and Venus were working on fixing up an old Bolts-Waggin’ van from the 1970s, Raph was working-over his punching bag, Mike and Zach were reading comic books, and Leo was watching an episode of his favorite cartoon, **_Megabot: The Cosmic Protector_ ** **.** ( _What I consider to be an improvement on Super Robo Mecha Force 5._ )

On TV, a bearded, pointy-eared villain laughed evilly while pointing his scepter at a downed heroic figure clad in blue spandex.

“ _Foolish Dex Dashstar! Did you REALLY believe that you stood a chance at defeating me ALONE?!”_ he asked.

The heroic figure, Dex, lifted his head. “ _Of course not...that’s why I’m NOT alone!!_ ” he replied.

Suddenly, five other spandex-clad figures, three boys and 2 girls, burst in through a hole in the wall. “ _Somebody call for backup, dude?_ ” asked the orange-clad one in a surfer voice.

Dex’s eyes widened as he beamed in delight. “ _Guys….you’re here! After all that rotten stuff I said to you?_ ”

The green-clad one, Joey Blipski smirked. “ _Ah, we know ya didn’t mean it; you were just stressed. Being leader ain’t easy, especially when you gotta be in charge of a team of giant robot pilots!_ ”

Dex beamed widely. “ _Thanks for the assist, team. But we can hug it out later. Time to form Mega-Robo!_ ” he replied. “ _Let's mech...and WRECK!!”_

Leo watched, and sighed contentedly as the action unfolded on-screen. “So...awesome,” he beamed giddily.

In Mike’s room, he and Zach were engaged in a riveting conversation.

“So you’re tellin’ me you have every issue of the original run for _Silver Sentry & the Justice Force _?” asked Zach.

“Oh, no question. I even have the _Silver Sentry/Chrysalis_ 64-Page Super Special with limited-edition foil cover! It’s the one where they finally get together!” Mike replied.

Zach’s eyes sparkled. “Get outta here, for real?”

Mike nodded.

“That settles it: you are officially the most awesome person I have EVER met.”

“I’m honored, micro-dude.” Mike smiled humbly, taking a bow.

Suddenly, a loud voice came from the living room: “ **_LEONARDO! DONATELLO! RAPHAEL! VENUS! MICHELANGELO!! FRONT AND CENTER: IMMEDIATELY!!_ ** ”

Michelangelo and Zach shot up and glanced at each other.

“Bummer, dude,” Mike gulped. “Methinks we’re majorly busted...!”

* * *

**_THREE MINUTES LATER, IN THE LIVING ROOM…_ **

All five turtles, as well as Zach, were gathered in front of the couch. Standing in front of them was a very upset-looking Master Splinter, with Whisker standing nearby.

The Turtles had seen that look on Splinter’s face many times during their pre-adolescent years. It was the look that meant “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed. And maybe a little bit angry.” And out of all 5 turtles, Leonardo hated seeing that look on his father’s face most of all. It was another reminder that he’d failed: not only as a ninja, but as a son.

“Your mother and I were just returning from getting dinner,” explained Splinter, his calm tone masking the fury beneath the surface as he gestured to the few boxes of takeout in Whisker's arms.

“But I see you decided to do a bit of...redecorating while we were out. Some throw pillows, a new rug...and a HUMAN TEENAGER?!” he finally shouted, tightly gripping the handle of his walking stick.

The five visibly cringed. It was pretty bad when Splinter gave them that look, but it was worse when his tranquil fury gave way to his seething rage.

Raph spoke up first. “But...dad, it wasn’t our fault! Lemme explain!”

Before Splinter could respond, he felt Whisker put her paw on his shoulder. He glanced back at her, and she smiled warmly. Splinter sighed...he never COULD say no to her, whether she be human or mutant.

“Very well…” Splinter relented, and Raph began his tale, as he took a deep breath.

“OK, so we went up to the surface, an’ we were soakin’ up the scenery all hidden-in-the-shadows, but then we heard this scream of terror in the distance, an’ then Mikey decided, I gotta do sumthin’!, so he raced off ‘ta save the day while Leo an’ the others stood flapping their yaps. I would’a joined ‘im, but I wanted to ensure I didn’t jump into things too quick, so I planned out a little sneak-attack just in case Mike was in trouble! But th’ dame fainted, and her little brother saw everything, so we had to take ‘em down here so they didn’t tell anybody!”

Raph concluded his recap, panting exhaustedly.

Splinter blinked, before responding. “...While I _am_ disappointed that you allowed yourselves to be seen...your mother and I are both very proud of you five.” he responded.

Leonardo let out a relieved exhale. As bad as it was, it could’ve been worse.

Just then, they heard groaning from the couch, and turned towards the source. The girl had finally regained consciousness.

“Great, she’s awake!” Raphael grinned. “Now’s your chance to woo her. Go for it, Don Juan!” he told Mike, playfully elbowing him.

Mike’s face went red. “I couldn’t do that, Raph...she might freak out!” he replied.

“Ugh...what happened…?” April grunted, rubbing her head. “Z...zach? Izzat you…?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s me, sis,” Zach replied calmly. “Just relax, these guys are the good ones!”

April blinked, confused. “Good ones…? Zach, what are you…” she began, before she ended up glancing right into Raph’s face.

“Rise an’ shine, Sleepin’ Beauty. Enjoy your nap?” he grinned.

April let out a small squeak of astonishment; she was too scared to scream. In front of her was a six-foot-tall humanoid turtle talking in fluent English. There was no way that this could be real...it HAD to be a dream!

“I can probably guess what you might be thinking, April, and no, this isn’t a dream. This is REALLY happening.” Zach explained.

April began to hyperventilate. As she did, she noticed that there were five of these humanoid turtles, as well as a humanoid cat and rat: the rat was clad in a blue robe with a walking stick, while the cat wore a red robe, sandals, and was a head or two taller than the rat. She also had black fur, yellow eyes, and a tuft of white hair on her head.

This was too damn weird to be a dream, that was for certain. No amount of indigestion could give way to produce something as crazy and specific as THIS.

April sighed. “Alright...suppose this ISN’T just a dream. Just...how did you all get to be what you are?” she asked, relenting.

Splinter smiled warmly. “ _That_ tale goes back to around the year 1992, when a young newlywed couple, Hamato Yoshi and his wife Tang Shen, moved to Manhattan and were looking for some pets to bring joy into their lives.”

“Mostly because Tang Shen was...unable to reproduce,” Whisker explained sheepishly.

Splinter coughed into his fist. “...anyway, since Shen loved nature, Yoshi took her to a pet shop, where they decided to adopt five tiny turtles in a glass bowl...but then came trouble,” Splinter continued. “Four hoodlums attempted to hold up the store, and though Yoshi was a quiet fellow, he was no pushover, for he had once been trained in the martial arts by his father. And while the both of them put up a decent battle, Yoshi, Shen, and their turtles suddenly found themselves doused in a glowing purple substance...and the couple were transformed: Yoshi into a rat-man, and Shen into a feline female. And since the Turtles had recently been in contact with the fellow who ran the pet store, they gained humanoid forms.”

It suddenly dawned on April. “Then...you’re Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen?!” she gasped.

“Give the gal a prize,” Raph quipped. “Nothing gets past _you_ , does it?” But Mike just nudged him. “Raph, cram it!” he whispered. “What? What’d I say?” asked Raph, confused.

“Knowing that we could no longer live among normal society, Shen and I had no choice but to take our turtles and escape into the sewers of Manhattan,” Splinter continued. “There we made a home in an abandoned train station--but even more surprises came, for you see, the purple substance had apparently granted the turtles human traits, including the ability of speech. Knowing that they would need to protect themselves, we trained them in the art of ninjutsu, and due to my love of the Renaissance period, I named them after my favorite artists: LEONARDO--expert sword-wielder; DONATELLO--tech specialist & bo-staff master: RAPHAEL--bulky, powerful, yet kind-hearted sai fighter: MICHELANGELO--champion of the whirling nunchaku; and VENUS DE MILO--hot-blooded, adventurous tonfa brawler. They...are the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_...and I am their co-teacher and father, Master Splinter, aided by my love, Whisker.”

Zach’s eyes sparkled. “...that...is...SO AWESOME!!!” he grinned. “That would be such a KICKASS comic book...or even a really cool movie!!”

Just then, April’s pocket began to vibrate, and she reached in and pulled out her cell phone. At this, Raph’s eyes widened.

“IT’S AN EXPLOSIVE!!” he gasped. “HIT THE DECK!!!” he leapt aside, pushing his siblings and parents to the ground to shield them from the blast.

April rolled her eyes. “Relax, Bruce Banner, it’s only a cell phone. We use them to contact people we know.”

Raph got up and blinked. “Funny...doesn’t look like any cell phone I’ve ever seen before…” he commented, reaching into his plastron and pulling out an egg-shaped device with a turtle-shell pattern on its back. “We mostly use our shell-cells. The name’s still a work in progress…”

Zach was enamored by the very sight of the device. “I dunno what that is...but I _want_ one. Like, really, _REALLY_ bad.” he explained calmly.

“Well...if you’re lucky, maybe Don can make one for ya…” Mike suggested.

Don glanced to the side. “Hmm...I’ll think it over.” he replied casually.

Just then, the news began to play on TV. “ _Breaking news: apparently, the local street gang known as the Purple Dragons--_ ”

The turtles snickered to themselves. “What a stupid name!”

“... _have been spotted breaking into the TGRI building. Founded in 1998, the Techno-Global Research Institute has since provided the world with many advances in science, defensive tech, and lots of other things._ ”

Donatello’s eyes widened. “If that kind of tech got into the hands of a street gang, they’d be nigh-unbeatable! Not even the police could stop them!”

Just then, the reporter was handed another piece of paper. “ _What’s this? Ah...I see...apparently our own on-the-scene reporter, Veronica O’Neil, has entered the building in secret to capture footage of the robbery. Good luck to you, Ms. O’Neil, and godspeed._ ”

April gasped in shock. “MOM!!” she and Zach yelled in unison.

The Turtles all glanced towards the two. “You mean that reporter lady’s your mother?” asked Leo.

Zach nodded.

“Then we owe it to ya to help make sure she stays safe.” Mike announced triumphantly.

“Really?” asked April, and Mike nodded with a warm, trusting smile. “Okay, then...good luck, you five.”

The turtles got into a group huddle. “On 3, you guys: one, two...three…”

Then they all shouted, “LET’S KICK SOME SHELL!!” and then raced out of the lair, and headed towards the surface.

April glanced at Splinter and Whisker. “Do you really think that they can save our mom?” she asked.

“If anyone can do it, _they_ can,” Whisker replied.

 

* * *

**MEANWHILE…**

Two of the Purple Dragons were waiting at the loading deck for TGRI when a delivery truck pulled up. Out of it stepped two men clad in beige suits and caps.

“We gotta delivery here for TGRI,” said one of them in a deep voice & a Joisey accent.

The two Dragons looked at one another, then back to the truck. “More geek shit?” asked one of them, before she shrugged. “Ah well...at least the big man’s gonna be happy. He goes nuts over this sciency junk…”

“Excellent choice, fellahs,” the 2nd delivery guy replied, holding out a clipboard & pen. “Now just sign here, here, initial here, middle-name there...and DONE!”

The two thugs opened the back of the truck, only to be grabbed by two monstrous green hands, dragged into the truck, and then tossed out, bound, gagged, and out like a couple of lights.

“Man, these guys are as dumb as dumb can be!” smirked Raph, emerging from inside the truck’s cab. “Now, time for **_Operation: Turtle Recall_ **!”

Leo shushed the others. “Guys, be quiet. Besides, it should be **_Operation Turtle Takeover_ **!” he whispered.

The two delivery people discarded their caps, revealing themselves to be Don and Mike. Don took out a device that looked like a cross between an eggbeater, a turn-crank, and a Sega Nomad portable gaming device. He turned the crank, and the eggbeater part began spinning. The small screen flickered to life, showing several glowing-red silhouettes inside the building.

“Thanks to my Tortuga Tracker, I can detect those thugs’ heat signatures,” Don explained. “They’re on the 6th floor! Although most of them are on the other 5 floors.”

Raph grinned. “SWEET! It’s like a beatdown banquet, and we’re the guests of honor!” he exclaimed.

“Well then…” Leon added, unsheathing his sword. “I suppose it would be rude to turn down our invitation. Wouldn’t it, gang?”

The other Turtles all smirked deviously in agreement.

 

* * *

 

Inside the TGRI building, Coop and Randy decided to check in on their outside guards.

“Egg in the nest to Dragons’ Keep. Do you copy, Dragons’ Keep? Over!” Randy said through his walkie-talkie.

A brief screech of static was his only answer, until he heard a voice. “ _I’m sorry. The thugs you are trying to contact have been knocked out cold. Please leave a message at the sound of the Oof. Thank you, and goodbye._ ”

Then the line went cold. Randy and Coop glanced at each other.

“Sound of the Oof?” asked Coop. “What the hell is _THAT_ supposed to--”

But he was cut off when Leo leapt down and spin-kicked him into a nearby wall, where he crashed with an “OOF!” before falling over, out like a light.

“Like that. Sound of the Oof,” Leo commented.

Randy glowered at the five mutants before him. “Stay back, freaks...I’m warning ya!” he stammered, pulling out a switchblade.

The turtles fake-shuddered in fright. “Careful, Leo, he’s got a knife!” Mike pretended to cower.

Leon chuckled. “That’s not a knife,” he replied casually, before unsheathing one of his swords. “THIS...is a knife. And it’s bigger than yours!”

Randy’s entire body went pale. He had NOT prepared for walking, talking reptile-teens carrying gigantic swords. And so, he did what any sensible person would do at a time like this...

He threw down his switchblade, turned tail, and ran off, yipping like a frightened chihuahua all the way. The Turtles all laughed and laughed at this hilarious display.

“If that’s how ONE guy reacts to one weapon-holding turtle…” Don managed to say between his laughing fit. “I wonder how they’ll react to FIVE of them!”

And so, they continued their trek up the staircase for three more floors. But by then, they were exhausted, so they decided to use the elevator to take the rest of the way up.

Eventually, they emerged on the 28th floor, and lunged out, their energy restored and ready to fight.

“So...you’ve come,” boomed Hun’s voice. “Exquisite. Y’know, I heard that some of my colleagues were terrified by a bunch of schmucks dressed in silly turtle costumes. Naturally, my first inclination was not to believe something so ridiculous, but now that I’ve seen it with my own eyes…” he continued, cracking his knuckles. “I figure this should be great practice for me; y’know, see if I need to improve on anything.”

Raphael stepped to the front and smashed his fists together. “I got this, sibs. Besides, this might be kinda fun.” he grinned.

Hun took out a crowbar and bent it into the shape of a bow tie, before tossing it away and charging right at Raph, who kicked up dirt like a bull and charged right at Hun as well.

And as the two juggernauts slammed into each other, neither giving an inch, behind a stack of crates, an auburn-haired woman clad in a dark-blue coat was recording the fight footage with the camera on her cellphone.

“My God…” she gasped quietly. “Are those...aliens? No, that’s stupid...wait a second...they look….almost like...turtle-men! And a turtle-girl, also? Could they be siblings…?”

But she knew that talking any more would give away her location, so she continued recording the footage.

Raphael proceeded to jab Hun with his sai in the sides, but it barely even slowed him down. He was like a mountain, unmovable, unshakable...and to him, Raph was like an ant. But while one ant might not do much...a group of ants can move even the tallest mountains.

So all five turtles lunged at Hun altogether, knocking him out a window and sending him plummeting.

“Did...did we just kill that guy?” asked Mike, feeling a bit panicked.

Leo glanced at his brother. “It was either him, or us. We did what needed to be done.” he replied. “Now...I trust you’re alright, Mrs. O’Neil?” he asked, glancing toward the stack of crates.

As she emerged from behind the crates, Ronnie was flabbergasted. “But...how did you know…?”

“That you were there? A ninja’s senses are heightened enough to hear the most insignificant sounds,” Leo explained. “That, and I heard you gasp during the fight.”

Mrs. O’Neil blushed. “Heh….guess that was pretty unprofessional of me to do…” she replied sheepishly.

“Hey, no sweat--that sorta thing could happen to anybody!” Mike replied casually.

“While we’re happy that you got your story,” Donnie added. “We’d personally prefer it if you left us out.”

“But why?” asked Mrs. O’Neil. “You five saved my life, AND kept the TGRI tech from being stolen! You’d be famous!”

“Sure, but if word got out about five mutant turtle teens who study ninjutsu, every scientist and government agent would be on our asses,” Raph explained. “We spent the early part of our lives stuck in a glass bowl, and we ain’t goin’ back!”

Mrs. O’Neil nodded in response. “I suppose that makes sense; I figure I can edit you out, or at the very least just say you were kids in very lifelike costumes...” she replied as she reached into her wallet and handed them some money.

Leonardo was surprised. “Um, ma’am, we couldn’t possibly take your money. We were just trying to help!” he replied nervously.

“I know, which is why I figure you at least deserve a reward.” Mrs. O’Neil replied. “I suppose I can get home on my own. Thanks for the help.”

“No problemo, reporter dudette,” Mike replied as Leo turned to face Venus.

“Sis, if you will?” he asked. “Say no more, Leo; I’m already on it!” Venus replied as she threw down an egg-shaped capsule. “BOOYAKASHA!!” she shouted. The moment it hit the floor, a cloud of thick red smoke surrounded them.

“And wherever they are, I’m sure April and Zach are proud of you.” Mike added as the fog covered their forms.

By the time the fog cleared, the Turtles had left, and Mrs. O’Neil was all by herself. She pocketed her phone and headed to the elevator. But before she left, she saw a strange-looking, green-colored flip-phone-style device lying on the floor with a piece of paper taped to it.

She reached down and picked it up, before reading the note.

_For Mrs. O’Neil--in case you’re ever in trouble, just give us a ring on your brand-new, fully-tested SHELL CELL: a product of TURTLETECH, INC. courtesy of Donatello (the purple one!)_

With a smile, Ronnie pocketed the “Shell Cell” and continued towards the elevator. Somehow, she had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last she ever saw of the green teens--not by a long shot…

* * *

**_MEANWHILE, ON THE ROOFTOPS OF MANHATTAN…_ **

The five ninjas were racing on the rooftops through the night, like a stealthy quintet...minus the stealth.

“We were AWESOME!” Venus grinned.

“Totally NITRO!!” Mike agreed.

“We were interstellar!” Don added.

Everyone then turned and looked at him.

“Interstellar? Really?” Raph asked incredulously.

"No. Just...just  _no_..." Leo admonished, shaking his head in disappointment.

Don sighed. “Alright, we were…umm... _way past cool_!” he replied. The others murmured in agreement at that.

“OK, okay, we did pretty great tonight, everyone,” Leon smiled. “And...I’m proud of you all.”

“Awww~” Venus beamed.

“Question is, whadda we do with the money April’s mom gave us?” asked Mike.

“I dunno about you, but I’m seriously hungry.” Raph replied as his stomach gave an earth-shaking growl.

“Yeah...I believe it…” Don replied. “Maybe we could use the money to get food!”

“That’s using your noggin, Donnie Boy!” Raph remarked. “But what kinda food?”

Leonardo pondered...until he got an idea. “Guys...I heard about this place called **_Albearto’s All-Night Pizza Buffet Jamboree_** , on Lavigne Avenue and Brown Parkway. Maybe we could get some food there!” he suggested.

“Alrighty then…” Don replied, putting in the destination into his Shell Cell GPS. “It’s just a couple minutes from where we are. Lady...and Gentlemen, tonight, we shall PIG OUT!!”

“Guys, guys...I just got a catchphrase idea!” Mike chimed in. “It’s for when we celebrate a win! I call it… _Cowabunga_.”

The Turtles thought for a few seconds. “Alright/Couldn’t hurt to give it a shot/Ah, what the hell?”

So, they got into a circle, drew back their hands, and did a hi-3, shouting in unison: “COWABUNGA!!”

“Yeah, that’s definitely the one!” Raph smirked.

“No question!” Venus agreed as the Turtles continued on their way.

As they did, Donatello glanced down at the canister of brightly-glowing purple goo in his hand. He then put it back into his satchel, and continued on. He didn't have to tell his siblings--at least, not yet...

* * *

**_ELSEWHERE, IN THE DEEPEST REACHES OF OUTER SPACE…_ **

An abandoned, broken husk of a spaceship was floating silently among a cluster of debris. Inside the ship, there were five stasis pods lined up on the wall that suddenly started to beep.

_**HYPER-SLEEP SEQUENCE COMPLETED. HYPER-SLEEP SEQUENCE COMPLETED. AWAKEN, SUBJECTS.** _

With a hydraulic hissing noise, the pods opened up and five beings emerged from them.

The first was a muscular-looking humanoid lizard with cybernetic limbs on his body. His name is **K'Vathrak the Newtralizer.**

Next was a man-sized ant with a purple executioner’s hood, battle armor, and in all four of his arms he held a battleaxe. His name is  **Antrax** , and judging from his manner of dress, he is an executioner.

Third was a humanoid roach-man clad in a purple hazmat suit, minus the helmet, and holding a strange-looking gun hooked to a large tank on his back. His name is  **Scumbug**.

Fourth was a humanoid polar bear wearing a biker jacket, shades, jeans, and black boots. His name is  **Tora**.

And finally, the last one was a one-eyed robot with sharp fangs and samurai armor. His designated name is  **Shogun**.

“How long has it been…?” asked Scumbug.

“Approximately twelve years since we flew through that warp in space.” Shogun replied.

“Damn...and what of Lord Krang?” asked Antrax.

“Status: unknown, though a signature similar to his has been detected in the Milky Way galaxy.”

“Is that so?” asked K'Vathrak. “Well, then--get this ship working pronto. We’ve got a boss to find!”

He chuckled evilly to himself, glancing at his robotic arm, which morphed into a cannon. “I hope the inhabitants at least try resisting--it wouldn’t be as fun to slaughter them..."

**_END OF PART TWO, DUDES._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUEST STARS:  
> -Stephanie Lemelin as Veronica O'Neil  
> -David Kaye as Hun  
> -Jack Angel as K'Vathrak  
> -Mark Oliver as Scumbug  
> -Danny Cooksey as Antrax  
> -Alexander Polinsky as Tora  
> -Maurice LaMarche as Shogun


End file.
